


The First Day

by mattygroves



Category: Eureka (TV), Stargate Atlantis
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fun with Wraith!, Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M, Post-Canon, Zoe goes to Atlantis!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-23 17:01:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7471914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mattygroves/pseuds/mattygroves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You should’ve met me in the gate room, a familiar face would’ve been nice. Especially after meeting Dr. Grumpy-Pants McKay.”</p><p>“You might want to stay on his good side,” Pilar warned, but her eyes were laughing.</p><p>“Please. I eat self-important scientists like him for breakfast,” Zoe said, making Pilar laugh for real.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The First Day

“This is the first day of the rest of your life,” Zoe heard her dad say.

“Ugh, Dad! When you did you get so maudlin?” she groaned.

“What, I’m not allowed to get a little emotional when my only daughter graduates from high school? As Valedictorian, I might add,” Jack gave her a firm side hug as they surveyed the party. All the people who had become so important to them—Jo and Zane—“canoodling” as her dad would day—in one of Sarah’s dimmer corners, Allison with Jenna in her arms talking to Henry and Vincent, Fargo and Kevin playing the X-Box, and the gentle familiar hum of Sarah herself.

“I don’t want to go,” Zoe said quietly, not sure her dad would even hear.

“Hey,” he said, turning to her and holding her by the shoulders, “Kiddo, you’re gonna be great. There’s nothing you can’t handle after living Eureka, you hear me? Nothing.”

She blinked back her tears and nodded, “Yeah, okay.”

“Now, let’s get the Valedictorian some of Vincent’s amazing cake.”

***

She still rolled her eyes when she thought about that day, but she thought about it a lot. Every time life threw a curveball and something big changed, she heard her dad say, “This is the first day of the rest of your life.” And a lot had changed. She wasn’t her dad’s only daughter, but she loved her stepsister and half-sister fiercely, even though she didn’t see them as much as she would’ve liked. And apparently the timeline had changed at some point? She and her dad had very different memories of that graduation party (like him remembering Jo and Zane being together that whole time, her remembering Grace’s thoughtful bouquet), but apparently he’d said, “This is the first day of the rest of your life” both times, proving he was a sap in any timeline. And Dad still skyped her weekly, through the research fellowship at Stanford, back to the East Coast to work at John’s Hopkins, and now one divorce.

“Hey, it’s a Carter family tradition,” she said to her dad’s semi-frozen image. “I’m fine. We’ve been separated for a year, its just paperwork at this point.”

She could tell her dad was about to ask if she was ‘really fine,’ which would probably lead to sobbing over her computer, so she continued, “Say hi to Allison and the kids for me, I have a patient to prepare for.”

She signed off without saying goodbye.

***

So it might have been coincidence, but it was probably her dad’s intervention when she received a job offer from his second cousin, Samantha. Zoe was going to toss it almost immediately, but she made the mistake of reading it. An adolescence in Eureka had taught her to read between the lines. And it offered both research opportunities and hands on work with patients, which Zoe had always been torn between.

“Did my dad put you up to this?” Zoe demanded over the phone.

“Well, hello, Zoe, nice to hear from you,” Sam said, with a laugh in her voice.

“Hi, Sam. Sorry. But did he?”

“He may have mentioned you were at a loose end, but I wouldn’t have offered if you weren’t highly qualified. It’s really the experience of a lifetime, Zoe,” she sounded genuinely excited.

“What can you tell me about it?”

“Nothing over the phone. Come to Colorado Springs and see for yourself.”

Zoe only hesitated for a moment before saying, “Okay.”

***

Which was how she ended up stepping through a wormhole to the Lost City of Atlantis. A bald man with glasses stepped forward and introduced himself as the expedition leader, Richard Woolsey.

“And this is our military commander, Colonel John Sheppard. Dr. Rodney McKay, chief of science. And Dr. Jennifer Keller, chief of medicine, to whom you’ll be reporting.”

“What no tears?” Dr. McKay said warily as she shook his hand. “You’re not going to freak out about stepping though a wormhole for the first time?”

“I’m from Eureka,” Zoe said, chin raised.

“Oh god, not another one,” he said, and abruptly turned and left the gate room before she could ask who else from Eureka was there.

“Don’t mind him,” Sheppard said with a crinkly smile. He reminded her of her dad a little, so she smiled back.

“He’s still upset that Nathan Stark dismissed one of his research proposals back in the nineties,” Dr. Keller said conspiratorially. “Come on, Dr. Carter. I’ve got some time to show you around. Sergeant Farzan will take your baggage to your room.”

“Thank you,” Zoe said to the young woman Dr. Keller indicated. “And you can call me Zoe.”

“Jennifer,” she smiled.

***

Jennifer had shown her the medical facilities. “There’s a lot of new equipment to get used to, but don’t worry, a lot of this Ancient tech is really intuitive.” She was shown how to work the transporters and find her quarters. And then they breezed through the gym, the common rooms, and finally ended at the mess. “I’m so sorry to leave you alone here, but everyone’s really friendly, so just sit wherever. You can start tomorrow at 0900, but take the afternoon to relax and get acclimated. Oh, and don’t touch anything unless you know what it is.”

“Don’t worry about me. Thanks for the tour.”

Coming to the end of the line with a tray full of food and looking around for somewhere to sit reminded her of high school. “Two post-docs, Zoe Carter,” she said to herself, “You’ve got nothing to be intimidated by.” She scanned the room, trying to look carefree. A hand tentatively waved and she locked eyes with—

“Pilar!” Zoe sat down her tray with a clunk and pulled her old friend into a hug, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Deep space telemetry,” Pilar said with a grin, sitting back down across from Zoe.

Zoe huffed a laugh, “Aren’t we all? But, seriously.”

“I was recruited after doing my post-doc in bio-robotics and organic computing. I’m working on integrating Ancient technology with earth’s.”

“God, it’s been what, ten years? I didn’t even know you’d left Eureka.”

Pilar looked down, briefly, but Zoe knew that look, so she changed the subject, talking about her own research until their plates were empty.

As they cleared their trays, Pilar said, “I knew you were coming, I’d heard—”

“You should’ve met me in the gate room, a familiar face would’ve been nice. Especially after meeting Dr. Grumpy-Pants McKay.”

“You might want to stay on his good side,” Pilar warned, but her eyes were laughing.

“Please. I eat self-important scientists like him for breakfast,” she said, making Pilar laugh for real.

Turning around, they almost ran straight into Colonel Sheppard, who looked like he was trying not to laugh himself. Pilar turned bright red and began stammering an apology.

“I’m not making a great first impression, am I?” Zoe said, “Pilar and I are old friends from high school, so I guess we kind of—”

“Regressed?” Sheppard said.

“Um, yes. Please don’t mention this to Dr. McKay.”

“Well, McKay and I don’t have many secrets—”

“Is this—oh my god, Pilar,” she clutched her friend’s arm, “I’m being extorted by the military industrial complex. What do you want, chocolate? Porn? Single malt Scotch?”

At that, Sheppard let out a loud guffaw. “You sound just like McKay.”

“No need to be insulting,” Zoe pouted.

“Your secret is safe with me. For now.”

Zoe rolled her eyes and pulled Pilar out the mess before collapsing against the corridor wall in another bout of helpless laughter.

“Everyone here is insane.”

“You’re the one who just insulted the chief of science in front of his own husband,” Pilar pointed out.

“Oh, shit, really?”

Pilar nodded.

“Okay, well, we’re going to find some good coffee, and you’re going to spill all the juicy gossip so I can keep my foot out of my mouth for at least a week while these people get to know my good qualities. God, I’m glad you’re here.”

“You too,” Pilar smiled back, wiping her eyes. “I didn’t know if you’d want to see me after—”

“What? The whole Fiery Pool of Doom fiasco? That was like, twelve, thirteen years ago.”

“No, the other thing. Florida. Spring break. Post-Zane.”

“Oh that?” Zoe waved her hand carelessly, “Water under the bridge.”

***

A few hours later, pleasantly buzzed from caffeine she knew she would regret later, Zoe was still wiping tears of laughter from her eyes as Pilar dished all the Atlantis gossip.

“These people are way crazier than anyone in Eureka. And I’m including Fargo in that.”

“Oh, Fargo,” Pilar said fondly. She glanced at her watch, “Oh shit, I’m late to pick up Joaquin.”

“My son,” she answered Zoe’s questioning eyebrow.

“We’ve been sitting here for three hours and you just now mentioned you have a son? Tell me everything. Who’s the father? Do I know him?”

“We used a sperm donor. My wife and I.”

“See, this is the kind of thing you were supposed to tell me, you know, so I could stop putting my foot in my mouth,” Zoe said. “Is she here, too?”

“No. Lab accident in Eureka a few years ago,” Pilar pulled at some fuzz on her sleeve.

“I’m so sorry, Pilar. I hadn’t heard. Obviously.”

They sat in silence for a moment.

“Oh, you gotta get your kid,” Zoe said, “I’ll um, catch you later, I guess.”

“You wanna meet him? I mean, you don’t have to, if it’s too weird.”

“No,” said Zoe, surprised, “I’d like that.”

***

And that was how Zoe ended up with Pilar and her son, eating dinner in their quarters. They had a large living space with a small open kitchen, a table and four chairs on one side, and a couch, TV, and game console on the other. It opened on a wide balcony overlooking the sea a few levels down. Pilar had some potted tomatoes and herbs. There was a small plastic play set that Joaquin had already outgrown and a few deck chairs. It could’ve been a nice apartment anywhere on earth, really. It felt like a home.

Joaquin, six and three-quarters, had Pilar’s big brown eyes, full lips, chocolate brown hair, and a crooked smile all his own. He told them all about his day at school, how he’d only had to turn his card once, but the Dex-Keller twins got almost all the way to black. He seemed in awe of them.

“It’s hard to picture Dr. Keller’s kids being that rambunctious,” Zoe told Pilar as she helped with the dishes while Joaquin worked on an addition and subtraction worksheet on his school tablet.

“That’s because you haven’t met Ronon Dex,” Pilar smiled.

***

After putting Joaquin to bed around seven-thirty, Pilar opened a bottle of wine and motioned for Zoe to sit on the couch. Two glasses in, Zoe couldn’t help remembering the last time they drank together. It was spring break, so they were hitting stuff harder than rosé, which eventually led to kissing on the beach at two in the morning, which led to...more. And more had led to a huge fight in the morning, fueled by confusion, that raw feeling Zane had left her with, and okay, maybe a certain amount of heterosexual panic (she’d worked through that later). She lashed out at the nearest person, who was unfortunately also the person she’d just slept with and one of her best friends. Whatever was happening now, she didn’t want to ruin it by rushing.

“I should go,” she said reluctantly. “I haven’t even unpacked. Hell, I haven’t even seen my quarters.”

Pilar nodded, setting down her wine glass and walking her to the door.

“But this has been great,” Zoe continued. “Really great. I hope we can—”

Zoe wasn’t sure if that sentence would end in a kiss or not. She was interrupted by a thump from the balcony.

“Get Joaquin,” she pushed Pilar toward his bedroom door, snapping her fingers trying to think about what her dad would do, what Jo would do. “And a weapon. Anything that can be—a baseball bat?”

“We’ve got one. Intercom by the door.”

Whatever it was came slowly closer. Zoe hit the intercom button.

“Uh, hi, Dr. Carter here. We’ve got an intruder in Pilar’s—Dr. Reed’s quarters. On the balcony.”

“Sheppard here. It’s a Wraith, just showed up on the sensors out of nowhere. Hold tight, we’re on our way,” came the voice through the intercom.

“A Wraith?” Zoe asked.

“Yes,” Dr. McKay’s testy voice cut in, “Didn’t you read the info-packet?”

“Of course I read it. But how’d it get in? Aren’t they supposed to be basically extinct?”

“Well, somebody left the back door unlocked, apparently,” Sheppard was breathing hard, running.

“For the love of god, I locked the back door!” McKay yelled. “There are locks on locks on locks on the back door—”

“As adorable as this banter is,” Zoe swallowed the lump in her throat, “It’s coming in.”

Pilar was back in the room, holding a sleepy Joaquin. “Zoe,” she called across the room, tossing her a child-size baseball bat.

Willing her hands to stop shaking, Zoe raised it to strike. “Stay behind me. If you get a chance, run for it.”

“Zoe, that’s crazy,” Pilar said.

“Yes, that’s crazy,” McKay’s voice came through the intercom, “Get out of there!”

“Almost there,” Sheppard said.

The Wraith came through the door with a long gun trained on them and a twisted smile, showing yellow, pointy teeth. It cocked its head and watched them, not in a hurry, savoring the moment.

“It’s got a weapon, we don’t have time to get to the door,” Zoe called over to the intercom.

“Zoe!” Pilar yelled, “You’re right there, go!”

“I’m not leaving you guys, Pilar, so forget it.”

“Oh my god, you grew up to be your dad.”

“What? Shut up. And seriously,” she turned her attention back to the Wraith, “Are you sure you’re not just lost on your way to a Marilyn Manson concert?”

“I will relish your insolence as I feed on you, human,” the Wraith menaced, slowly coming closer. Zoe adjusted her grip.

“No, really,” she said, “Legolas called, he wants his wig back. And that gun is straight out of a Nathan Stark wet dream. If you want to kill anybody, it should be your concept artist, because they were clearly phoning it in.”

Zoe could hear the Wraith’s panting now. She let it get close, waiting for her moment. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pilar put Joaquin down, pushing him behind her to shield him. Poor kid was probably scared out of his mind.

“I have hibernated for twenty years in the city of the Ancestors. Now I feast.”

“Is that supposed to frighten me?” Zoe raised an eyebrow. “Remind me to tell you the story about the time my crazy shrink hijacked my stepmom’s body. Or when my smart house tried to kill me with an anti-aircraft gun. Or how ‘bout the time Pilar here set the school pool on fire with me still in it?”

“That was an accident. God, Zoe,” Pilar said, getting into the spirit of things.

The Wraith hissed, pulling back a hand to strike. Zoe knew her moment when she saw it, letting loose with the bat.

“You think you’re scary? I’m from Eureka, bitch!”

She got in a few good blows, too, before Sheppard and a bunch of marines filled the place and a tall guy with dreadlocks shot the Wraith with a stunner. Dr. McKay ran in breathlessly a moment later, followed by Dr. Keller and a med team.

McKay took one look at Zoe, who was still breathing heavily from the exertion and adrenaline, and yelled, “You people from Eureka are insane! Are you trying to get one of my best scientists killed?”

“Aw, Dr. McKay,” Pilar interjected, hands firmly on her son’s shoulders as he surveyed the scene, wide-eyed. “I didn’t know you cared.”

“Hey, I didn’t exactly invite the Wraith in for tea,” Zoe said with a grin as the marines dragged it away.

“Go easy on her, McKay,” Sheppard said. “That was pretty impressive.”

“Well,” McKay softened a little, “I did like your line about Nathan Stark.”

“He’s dead, you know,” Zoe said.

“Yes, yes. Very sad,” McKay waived a hand dismissively.

“I’ll be taking my patients, now,” Dr. Keller interrupted. She turned to Zoe apologetically, “Protocol.”

“Or course,” Zoe said, finally catching Pilar’s eyes. She and Joaquin were wearing matching dopey grins, and Zoe tried hard not to think about how endearing that was. “Sorry for swearing in front of your kid.”

“That was fan-fucking-tastic!” Joaquin exclaimed, “I can’t wait to tell the twins.”

Dr. Keller exchanged a look with the man in dreads, who grinned sheepishly. Ronon Dex, presumably.

“Yeah,” said Pilar, “I wouldn’t worry about the swearing.”

“You know,” Sheppard said, “We could really use someone like you on an away team, Dr. Carter.”

“Okay, okay, John,” Jennifer said before Zoe could respond, “At least give her a day to adjust before you try and steal my staff.”

Sheppard looked unaccountably discomfited by that.

“Oh my god, Jennifer,” Dr. McKay shouted, “For the last time, John did not steal me from you. And even if he had, I might point out just how well that has worked out for you—”

Jennifer just laughed, ushering Zoe, Pilar, and Joaquin out the door.

“Babe,” she called back, “Don’t forget the babysitter’s on the clock.”

“Yes, dear,” Ronon called back in an exaggeratedly sweet tone that just made her laugh harder.

“They’re so easy,” Jennifer said, catching up with one of her med techs to lead them to sickbay.

“Welcome to Atlantis,” Pilar said, humor in her voice. Zoe looked over at her, ponytail disheveled, cheeks flushed, Joaquin with his small arm tight around her waist, Pilar’s arm reassuringly around his shoulders.

“I think I’m going to like it here,” Zoe said, taking her free hand and squeezing it. Pilar squeezed back and they walked on, hands clasped, until they reached the infirmary.

**Author's Note:**

> Eureka/SGA crossovers are my lifeblood, so I was really excited when the idea for this story popped into my head. I hope you enjoyed it, thanks so much for reading. Kudos and comments put a giddy smile on this author's face :)


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